New High Schools Cost Rises $37.8M

The numbers, alluded to last week when School Committee Chairman admitted word of the new high schools cost rising was accurate, were delivered  at Wednesday’s School Committee meeting at Pilgrim High. Galligan demurred when asked to quote the specific amount of the cost overrun, saying the issue was still being assessed and he risked being inaccurate if he disclosed it earlier.

Residents and officials expressed frustrations about the rising new high schools cost.

“In the private sector, you would all be fired if not prosecuted,” said Rob Cote. “You falsified all aspects of this. You hid documents. You need to listen to the constituents. We’re the ones who have to pay the bills.”

City Councilman Ed Ladouceur said he voted against funding for the two high schools. 

“I knew the project could never be completed as presented,” Ladouceur said, “I resigned from the school building committee during the first 10 minutes of its first meeting  because it was clear to me that the fix was in and the taxpayers were out. It was clear the school department was going to move ahead with this project regardless if it made sense for the students, for the teachers, or the taxpayers. I wanted no part of it.”

City Councilman Jeremy Rix took a different view, praising the School Committee for “trying to be transparent.”

“I think you all have the right ideas in mind here,” Rix said. “It’s not your fault that the cost escalated as they did. Perhaps, in retrospect, there should have been more safeguards here. I’m here to say that failure is not an option. We have to figure out what is the best path forward for Warwick’s future. We have to have excellent high schools moving forward.”

New High Schools Cost: Revisions Underway

In order to save money, the architects revised and reissued the schematic designs, according to Chris Spiegel, the Senior Project Manager for Left Field Project Management.

An enclosed courtyard was eliminated. 40,000 square feet were reduced without cutting programs, Spiegel noted.

Spiegel presented a breakdown of expenses, including $317 million for building construction, site work, and demolition for the two schools. About $49 million is designated for “soft costs,” including architectural and engineering services, furniture, and other materials.

New High Schools Cost: Prices Continue Rising

Spiegel explained that construction costs continue to increase. Dimeo had estimated a cost of $837 per square foot for Toll Gate. That number has since been revised to $770 per square foot.

The cost per square foot for Pilgrim had been $777. That figure has now been revised to $718, Spiegel said.

“Today is the first of the difficult decisions we’re having with the school committee,” said Spiegel. “There are many unknowns about this project. There are many assumptions about this project.”

Construction is set to begin in March 2025. The move in date for the high schools would be July through August 2027. Last August, Spiegel said the project was on budget.

Committee members noted their overwhelming support for the new schools and urged residents to remain positive and support the project.

“The notion that we should give up is unfathomable,” said committee chairman Shaun Galligan. “We have to make difficult decisions and rally together.”

Galligan noted he was “disheartened” by comments expressed by residents regarding the honesty of the school committee on social media.

“We’ve been forthcoming and straightforward,” Galligan said, noting there had been no “back room deals” with anyone involved in the project.

“There are a lot of bridges to cross in this process,” said committee vice-chair David Testa. “I think we have to work together. We have to do this collaboratively. We need to break ground.”

Testa believed delaying the project would be “totally irresponsible.”

“We have to do what’s right for these kids,” said member Karen Bachus. “The right thing to do is to build these schools and build them properly.”

“This is a once in a generation opportunity for our students and for our community,” said Superintendent Lynn Dambruch, noting the new schools would provide “cutting edge learning” and would “exceed the needs of twenty-first century learners.”

Spiegel also presented the costs of renovating Toll Gate and Pilgrim. For Pilgrim, the cost would be $152.9 million. For Toll Gate, the cost would be $139.1 million. For renovations to the Career and Technical Academy, the cost would be $5.1 million. The total for all three buildings is $297.3 million. 

However, those funds would be spent on interior renovations only. Spiegel added there would be no site work.

Additional public forums are planned, the dates yet to be determined. The next School Committee meeting is Nov. 12.

The meeting video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkCf–PwYVs.

Author: Joe Siegel

Joe Siegel is a regular contributing writer for WarwickPost.com. His reporting has appeared in The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro and EDGE.